Brandon Pettigrew’s ankle won’t keep him from playing in season finale

Brandon Pettigrew’s sore ankle will not keep him out of the Lions’ season finale vs. Chicago today.

The fourth-year tight end practiced for the first time in two weeks on Friday since sustaining the injury in the first quarter at Green Bay Dec. 9. He was listed as doubtful on Friday’s injury report, but the ankle has responded well to treatment and he’ll try to give it a go. He’s missed the team’s previous two games.

Safety Louis Delmas and cornerback Chris Houston, who were both listed as questionable on Friday’s injury report, are active and will start.

Cornerback Ron Bartell, who the Lions signed just two weeks ago, will start at right cornerback opposite Houston. The Lions like Bartell’s size (6-1, 210) and want to see him in action before the offseason.

Rookie cornerback Jonte Green will likely play the nickel cornerback role. Green had been starting the last couple weeks at right cornerback.

Cornerback Drayton Florence is inactive. He was not listed on the injury report this week and is an unrestricted free agent this offseason.

Joining Florence on the inactive list for the Lions are: running back Kevin Smith, safety Ricardo Silva, offensive tackles Jason Fox and Corey Hilliard, quarterback Kellen Moore and defensive end Ronnell Lewis.

Andre Fluellen will get the start next to Ndamukong Suh at defensive tackle.

Lions place CB Jacob Lacey on IR; sign CB Ron Bartell

The Lions have lost another defensive back to the injured reserve list.

This time, it’s cornerback Jacob Lacey, who suffered a subluxation of his left knee cap in the team’s loss to the Cardinals last week.

“It’s not an ACL or a surgery,” Lions head coach Jim Schwartz said Tuesday. “But it is going to put him down for a little while. It popped back in on the field. He was game (to try and come back) but couldn’t run well enough.”

Lacey has been battling foot and Achilles tendon injuries for most of the season.

“He’s a tough guy and he’ll bounce back from this,” Schwartz said.

To take Lacey’s place on the active roster, the Lions signed veteran cornerback Ron Bartell, who spent his first seven seasons with the Rams and started six games with the Raiders this year.

The 6-foot-1, 210-pound Bartell grew up in Detroit and played his college football at Howard.

“He’s a big corner. He’s got experience,” Schwartz said of Bartell. “He’s in good shape and has been playing recently. He worked out well for us.”

Bartell played as recently as Week 14 for the Raiders in a loss to the Broncos. He started that game and recorded four tackles and defended a pass.

The Raiders cut him Dec. 10 so they could get a look at some of their younger players, according to reports.

Bartell missed all but one game in 2011 because of a neck injury. He signed with the Raiders as a free agent this offseason and started Week 1. He broke his shoulder blade in the first game of the season, but returned to the lineup Nov. 11 in Baltimore and started the next five games.

He has 71 career starts in a eight-year career.